The government has accepted a recommendation to amend the 1992 Constitution to guarantee equal voting rights for all members in good standing of registered political parties in the selection of parliamentary and presidential candidates.
Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, announced the decision on Thursday, July 30, while presenting the government’s White Paper on the Constitution Review Committee’s recommendations at the Jubilee House.
According to him, the government has endorsed the Committee’s proposal to amend Article 55 of the Constitution to ensure that every registered political party grants equal voting rights to all eligible members during internal elections.
“The Committee recommended an amendment to Article 55 to require every registered political party to afford its members in good standing equal voting rights in the selection of its parliamentary and presidential candidates. The Government has accepted this recommendation,” Dr. Ayine stated.
He noted that the decision aligns with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the case of Prof. Frimpong Boateng and Others v. NPP, NDC and Others, which held that all registered members of political parties should be allowed to participate in internal elections.
“Just yesterday, the Supreme Court held that all registered members of political parties should be allowed to take part in their internal elections. Therefore, on this question, the Committee, the Government and the Supreme Court now speak with one voice,” he said.
Dr. Ayine explained that the proposed amendment is intended to strengthen internal democracy within political parties, stressing that parties seeking to govern the country must themselves uphold democratic principles.
“Political parties are the vehicles through which we choose those who govern us. They cannot themselves be governed by the few,” he added.
The Attorney General also announced that the government has, in principle, accepted another recommendation to remove the Electoral Commission’s responsibility for registering and regulating political parties.
He said the government intends to establish a new independent body, to be known as the Political Parties Regulatory Commission, to undertake those responsibilities instead of the Electoral Commission.
“Relatedly, the Committee recommended an independent body to register and regulate political parties in place of the Electoral Commission’s current role. The Government accepts this in principle.
“We prefer, however, the designation Political Parties Regulatory Commission to the nomenclature of a ‘Registrar and Regulator’,” he said.
Dr. Ayine indicated that the proposed Commission would be established through legislation, with Parliament determining its mandate, including matters relating to campaign financing and the proposed Democracy Fund.
“The Commission will be established through legislation, and matters such as campaign financing and the proposed Democracy Fund will be addressed in that legislation, providing the flexibility a rapidly evolving field demands,” he stated.
The recommendations form part of the government’s response to the Constitution Review Committee’s report. Their implementation will require constitutional amendments and the passage of enabling legislation by Parliament.
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